


The Final Scratch

by Kaioken95



Series: Davekat Week 2020 [6]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Acceptance, Accepting Defeat, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Davekat Week, Davekat Week 2020, Death, End of the World, Endings, Erased from existence, Final Thoughts, Friendship, Gen, Light Angst, Loss, Moments Before Death, Sadstuck, Scratch (Homestuck), Short, Universe Dying, Universe Resets, erasure, everyone dies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:42:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28711449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaioken95/pseuds/Kaioken95
Summary: Day 6 for Davekat Week 2020: Endings
Relationships: Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas
Series: Davekat Week 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2079612
Kudos: 10





	The Final Scratch

**Author's Note:**

> Another short piece today, the last one will be posted today as well once it's finish and will be linked this piece since the prompts are connected.
> 
> Please enjoy this piece.

* * *

**Why?**

**Why did it have to come to this?**

**Is there really no other way…**

You stand at the edge of the abyss, and it’s some fancy metaphor or message, you are literally standing on the edge of this lone platform as everything around is dying, the view before you is the rest of the universe, galaxies expanding and compressing, stars blinking in and out of existence. Vibrant colors were streaking across the vast void of space, and with everything it touched, one by one it fades away. It would be beautiful if wasn't just a scenario or a visual aid, but no… 

**This was real.**

You stand alone, before you the universe was dying, or rather resetting itself. Everything was in ruins, it was another reminder of your failure, of all your failures, and the failures of your teammates. You all tried so valiantly and fought so hard to achieve this goal, and find some sort of peace, but in the end, the struggle ended in complete absolute failure...

**The game had been lost.**

KARKAT, you repeat your name in your head over and over, you had to hold on to it tightly, not knowing what the next few moments would bring, you tighten your hands into fists, squeezing as hard as you can. You had screamed every profanity, every curse, screamed from the top of your lungs and threw several fits, but now… Now you felt something odd, a strange sense of acceptance.

Your ears flick, catching the sound of footsteps approaching from behind him. Usually would be wary of possible enemies coming up from behind, bearing your teeth, raising your nails, and gripping your sickle. But you were prepared for the ending so it didn’t matter, DAVE stands beside you, he looks a little worse for wear, those fancy God Tier clothes of his were torn, stained with blood some of it not even his, and even those ironic shades of his were gone, lost or broken in that last battle.

You can’t help but glance at his face, those eyes of his, burning red like the very blood in your veins. He had a look on his face that was almost identical to yours, he looked tired but at peace. That legendary sword of his too was gone, destroyed before he could fulfill its purpose and use it against the demon.

Everything had been set, and Dave’s arrival meant that the last preparations had been made for the **FINAL Scratch** …

They had initiated many scratches before, but this one was different, hence its name it would be the last one to occur. The universe burning around them was one of the first steps of the **FINAL** , everyone else had taken their places, and everything else was set, and now they just had to wait. At this point, death was something you had all been to, but still, that isn't to say it doesn’t frighten you all the same. Dying was one thing, but complete erasure and reset was another more terrifying end. 

“Hey, Karkat…”

“Yeah?”

“Nevermind.”

“Don’t do that…”

“Right, sorry about that. No point in being shy about things anymore…”

“I just… I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? What are you sorry for?”

“For letting this all go to shit, for being able to keep my promise.”

You can feel the weight of failures on your head, against your back, after all your efforts, all your sacrifices, getting dealt a pretty shitty hand in life, and barely escaping death throughout your entire session. Watching all your friends die, come back, die again, losing your entire planet, and now here you stand with your friend, the guy who once referred to you as an **_“INSUFFERABLE PRICK”_** now one of your last friends still alive or at least within the vicinity. 

The activation of the **FINAL** required a lot of your power as the Hero of Time, some hero you turned out to be. That's what your mind is telling you anyway, you don’t seem like much of a hero. You’ve died before and to be honest, the pain was more intense, and after everything just went dark, quicker than falling asleep. It’s hard to hide your emotions and frustrations without your cool-guy shades, now your face was clear with little remaining in this dying universe.

He felt like once again that you let everyone down, you let your friends down, and now your moments away from being erased and reborn as someone or something else, you’ll have no memories of this life or any of your doomed selves. Chances are that you might meet John, Rose, or Jade in the new reality, which means the chances of seeing Karkat again will be even more unlikely… 

Despite your beginnings with the troll, the time you spent with him was enjoyable, and that promise you made, that when you arrived at the new session you would win, and they can start everything all over again, both for humanity and trollkind. And in a way that was kind of going to happen but the odds were that you and Karkat and all your friends would survive the erasure, and be recycled into something or someone…

It’s not fair…

You glance over to Karkat, he was abnormally calm, his face looked as peaceful as he does when he sleeps. Seeing that expression on his face makes it sink in even harder than before, and the sting of your failure feels even worse. Even he knows that this is the end, and he’s accepted it, right now he’s more chilled than you and you're the anxious one.

“Dave, It’s okay… It’s not your fault, this is just the way it is.”

“I’m ready for this…”

“Yeah… I guess I am too…” 

“But still… I’m actually scared.”

“Not of the dying part, it’s just not existing anymore, and not being to see you or the others…”

“Well, I’m not… Not anymore at least.”

“You’re far too insufferable to let a universal erasure wipe you out. We’re all pretty durable, so that’s why I know…”

“So Dave, let’s meet again in the next life.”

“Karkat…”

“Yeah. Absolutely, let’s meet again…”

Karkat was holding your hand, and he returned the gesture by squeezing it tightly, holding onto him for as long as you could. Hold on to his hand, hold on to his memory, don’t forget his name, don’t forget any of them, hold on to those images, those good times, and those words until the very end…

The far-off galaxies begin to go white, bright blinding lights enveloping them one by one, everything that gets swallowed into the light, breaks, and shatters, turning to dust, stars have gone supernova, and that the cracks have finally begun eating the universe entirely. Karkat closes his eyes slowly, a translucent red tear streams down his face, and then Dave shuts his eyes, biting his lower lip, the light is so warm, and as they are soon engulfed by it...

"I'll find you again..."

"I promise."

**Author's Note:**

> So this was something a little sad, in which the team fails to defeat Lord English, and in a final attempt they enact a final scratch to erase everything and reset it, including all of them.
> 
> Karkat and Dave wait alone on a platform as they watch everything around them die and burn, and come to accept their fate.
> 
> The last piece will be a continuation to this one, showing what will happen after the final scratch.


End file.
